Logan Wetzel: Nomad Spring

Part 4 of blog posts from my 7 week road trip!

On the road again, Brown Loaf purring, heading south for Sedona, Arizona! Beautiful and vast desert, mesas, and mountains. Such a wonderful drive.

Near Monticello, UT.

Brown Loaf and some of the many mesas of SE Utah.

First destination: Monument Valley, on the border of Utah and Arizona in Navajo Nation. Seeing this famous vista was well worth the small entry fee to the tribe.

Monument Valley

Next stop was for gas in Kayenta, AZ and 20 mpg was further evidence that the Brown Loaf was running happier after the campsite repairs performed in Moab.

It was fun to drive through Flagstaff, AZ after having recently visited the town for Overland Expo with my friend David of Green Goat Outdoors.

Stopping at the In-n-Out for lunch was its own experience altogether. Two queues of traffic snaking through the parking lot, with dozens of employees directing traffic and working the kitchen. Overwhelming at first, it turned out to be a well-oiled machine and a worthwhile stop.

From Flagstaff it was a serpentine drive down the Oak Creek Canyon into Sedona. Stopping in the canyon to look for open campsites and a place to cool off in the creek, I was really striking out, however. The campgrounds were full (despite being early afternoon on a Thursday) and the creek access all required a fee to park at. Finally finding a free pull-off, I was able to refresh in the creek.

Oak Creek

Brown Loaf looking good and performing well.

Continuing a few miles into the town of Sedona, the busy and expensive theme continued. Contrasted by mesmerizing natural beauty, I suppose it makes sense that a lot of people-myself included-want to visit this town.

Entering beautiful Sedona, AZ.

Overwhelmed by the traffic, I found the Rotary Park where I could rest, use a bathroom, and do some work from. There were a few other vans and rigs in the parking lot, probably travelers in the same boat as me. Scrounging for free parking and a public bathroom-the real truth about vanlife digital nomadism? 🙂

This theme would continue, albeit surrounded by amazing scenery, as I searched for a place to camp. Heading northwest out of town, I traveled further and further until finally reaching the dispersed camping options on national forest land. No doubt related to the covid explosion of recreation, the traditional dispersed camping had recently been concentrated into a handful of designated zones, much like campgrounds. To the frustration of dirt bags like myself, this didn’t leave many places to camp, especially not spots that aren’t in a gravel parking lot resembling a dusty sardine can full of RVs.

What most of the free camping looked like in Sedona...

Fortunately, and thanks to the Brown Loaf’s small size and nimbleness, I was able to reach further back into the juniper forest and find a peaceful slice of my own.

Lucked out finding a slice of my own.

Complete with my own cactus.

Not a bad place to camp, in the end.

Not wanting to lose this spot, I mountain biked directly from camp to the West Sedona trails. Contrary to being known to be more of the XC style trails of town, these trails were a blast! So good, in fact, that I rode them again the next morning.

Interesting plant life and fun trails!

"Slickrock" and scenery abound!

It’s clear why Sedona is a mountain biking destination. Stunning scenery with lush green forest filled with strange trees and cacti, and the distinctive red rocks jutting towards the sky. Otherworldly for sure. I will definitely return someday to explore more of the trails.

Hot air balloons Friday morning outside Sedona.

Day 2 riding West Sedona trails.

After my 20 hour stay and morning ride, I was on the road from Sedona downhill towards the town of Cottonwood in search of a swimming hole. Like Sedona, Cottonwood and the adjacent town of Clarkdale also appeared to be destinations themselves. There was a wine theme as they are in the Verde Valley AVA-news to me as I did not expect wine regions in Arizona.

Lunch in Cottonwood, AZ.

Trail through cottonwoods to access the Verde River.

Verde River where I cooled off and felt refreshed.

From Cottonwood and the Verde River at a low elevation of 3000-something feet above sea level, I was ready to escape the heat and head back into the mountains to a “sky island,” as Arizonans call them.

The Brown Loaf showed what they are capable of by making it up the biggest climb of the trip so far. 3000 to 8000 feet above sea level in one continuous grade! Coolant temperature okay, everything the way it should be.

Mogollon Rim at 8000 feet above sea level.

This “sky island” is the Mogollon Rim, a geological feature that spans hundreds of miles and is the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. In the Coconino National Forest, the rim has plenty of forest service roads and dispersed camping.

You shall not pass!

The plan was to reach an epic camp spot with a view looking off the edge of the rim. However, this plan wasn’t to be as there was still deep snow blocking the road on both route options. Like wine regions, I was again ignorant of Arizona and was not expecting snow!

So close, I could hike in and check out my planned camp spot.

After driving the “rim road” for a few miles, meeting a friendly couple with the cutest teardrop trailer (sorry, no photos), I found a spot to set up camp for the night.

When things don't go as planned, they often work out for the better.

Brown Loaf looking good with Arizona mud.

Taking a look at my map, I was surprised to see a fire lookout indicated near my location. After bushwhacking through the woods (the road was still snow-covered), I was blown away to find a shuttered fire lookout just above my camp spot!

Fire lookout on the Mogollon Rim!

Bench and viewpoint looking southeast off the rim.

Tribute to hotshot forest fire fighters.

That evening, I was treated to the most memorable sunset of my life as I sat on the lookout stairs under the locked hatch, looking out across the Sonoran Desert, 5000 feet below.

A sunset to remember for life.

On the walk down to camp, I found a large feather, possibly from a Red Tailed Hawk. A perfect keepsake to remember the evening.

Feather keepsake and new dash ornament.

In the morning, I was pleased to run the Espar heater at 8000 feet while sipping coffee, having a hard time believing how far the Brown Loaf has come since its sad years infested with mice and rotting in the woods.

On the road again and dropping off the rim into beautiful forested communities below, it almost felt like being back in Washington State. There were even herds of elk! Yet again, Arizona continues to be full of surprises.

Lovely roads and countryside below the Mogollon Rim.

In the town of Payson, I was treated to a splendid backyard mountain bike ride, often my favorite kind of ride.

Stunning hills of Payson, AZ.

Sometimes the obscure trails are the best ones!

Stacked boulders reminiscent of Joshua Tree.

Great riding in Payson.

From Payson, the easy downhill driving continued on scenic highways. Next stop Roosevelt Lake, not to be confused with Lake Roosevelt in WA.

Roosevelt Lake - where saguaros meet water.

After Roosevelt Lake was a spontaneous stop at Tonto Cave Dwelling, the first one of its kind that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, a lunch stop in the town of Globe, and the final stretch of road to Tucson.

Impressive Tonto Cave Dwelling on Earth Day.

What a home!

Final stop of the day - the famous Biosphere 2! Trees growing inside once tipped over due to lack of root-strengthening-wind. A lesson for life!

After reaching Tucson and in comical vanagon fashion, the dashboard ventilation fan died in hot afternoon Tucson traffic, only a mile before my destination.